Downfall
by maddyporter4639
Summary: Betrayed. A cripplling fear of the dark. Hunted. After going too far, Daniel fights to save himself in the castle Brennenburg.


Finally complete! Yay! I put my heart and soul into this one. It was originally meant to be five pages. Lol. Note: This is very fast-paced, that's my writing style. (Which is why I have such a hard time writing emotional fics :( )

later note: i used to be obsessed with this game, but then hetalia happened. yeah... i dont think i can do much more anyway. enjoy!

His footsteps echoed down the hall in a rhythmic pattern as he paced between two walls. How was it possible? They were in a cell, with only a bed, a few miscellaneous item here and there, how could she have possibly escape?! He had to push the questions aside. It didn't matter how she escaped, all that mattered was she did. He had to find her, and fast. This one little being could jeopardize everything. But he couldn't get a good start without knowing how she escaped. So he was back at square one. He let out a frustrated growl. About the only options he had were look for the child blindly, or keep terrorizing the mother till she gave up the location of her daughter. He decided to try option two a last time. He looked back angrily at the girl's mother. She was huddled in the corner, already terrorized by Daniels' previous failed attempts, which included horrible threats and savage words . Peaceful negotiation was obviously not an option. His anger surged through his body. He shook the bars of her door. "Where is she? Where did she go?!" "No, I won't tell, I'll never tell you!" she sobbed pitifully. He sighed as he tried to control himself. He could search the blasted castle for days until he found her! "You are just making things worse! Look, this is no place for young girl all by herself. She could be hurt or worse. There's no telling what horrors await her down there." The woman glanced up. "Please, if you have any kindness in your heart, promise me you won't hurt her. Please," She pleaded. "Perhaps, if you tell me where she is," said Daniel coldly. He was getting tired of this waste of time. "You're human! How can you be so cruel? Have you not had your own children, or have seen boys and girls playing in the street?" A pang went through Daniels' heart. He had always wanted a happy family, he always wanted to see his own children playing, growing up, growing old with someone he loved. He was particularly fond of some of his woman friends, and knew some of them took a liking to him. It just reminded him more of what he had thrown away with had started out as a harmless trip to Algeria... He had a very empty feeling in his chest. Then reality came back. He didn't have time to pity himself! The woman continued talking. "I see the want in you eyes. Why do you choose to live this dark path?" Daniel felt his anger boil a within him. "BECAUSE I HAVE TOO!" The woman fell silent. Daniel cursed himself. He had already wasted enough time! And now he had to search blindly for a child. With a last glance at the mother, he began searching.

After searching relentlessly for an hour, frustration began to well up inside him. He hadn't even so much as a hint of her existence! She could never be found! She could've been dead for hours, rotting in one of the hundreds of rooms in this damned castle. She even could've escaped by now,and told someone of their deeds! He had to pressed on. In one of the many rooms he searched, pocketed an old rusty dagger. _For protection of course. Only for protection..._

After searching for five more hours, which were filled with many things breaking and extensive cursing, Daniel finally stumbled upon something. A piece of fabric, soaked in blood, light blue with flower patterns. It was hers. He wondered only for a second why it was blood-covered when he heard a shrill, terrified scream echoed through the halls, making him jump. He suddenly felt an alien presence in his mind. _"Daniel, what was that? What's going on_?" It was Alexander. Daniel hated when he talked tellepathically to him, it just wasn't natural. "Nothing Alexander, I can't handle," said Daniel through gritted teeth, trying to keep his voice calm. Not only was the search pushing him to the edge, he had been very upset with Alexander lately. He was pressing him harder and harder, farther than he ever imagined, and still expected him to keep up. It was getting to be too much. Plus, he was sure if Alexander found out about her, he would send his servants after her, which would most likely end in her death. While he hated her, he felt a determination to prove he had kindness in his heart... "_Are you sure Daniel? Are you okay?" _"I'm fine Alexander!" Daniel snapped. He instantly felt the presence retreat. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. He hadn't meant to snap at him. He was just really stressed right now. Even if the Baron had asked so much of him, he was still saving his life. In fact he had came be quite acquainted with the baron even to the point of "friends." He would even go so far as to say he trusted him with his life.

Daniel suddenly snapped back to reality, having forgotten the girl for a moment. That scream... it was scream of sheer terror. . What if she was caught by one of the servants, or had wandered into the torture chambers?! Daniel greatly quickened his pace. If he didn't find her soon...

He only had to walk a few steps before hearing one of the servants growl. His heart raced as he quickly stepped into the shadows, being careful to not alert the monster. Even though he knew Alexander wouldn't allow them to hurt him, their horribly disfigured faces were terrifying. Even the shadow of it was horrid, Daniel held his breath as the creature passed, releasing it when the monster had went around the corner. It had blood on its' claws...

He only had to creep around a few corners to hear her sobbing. It was a sob that spoke of fear and pain. That wasn't a good sign. carefully,Daniel snuck around the corner. He spotted her lying on the ground in the middle of the hall, in a fetal position, crying softly. On her arm were 3 long bloody scratches, the markings of the servants. Her sunday dress was torn and was absolutely filthy. For a moment, Daniel felt a pang of guilt. She was so young, so close to death. Yet she had the will to go on, to survive. She reminded him so much of Hazel...

Daniel got angry with himself. What was he thinking, that he could let her go? If Alexander or the servants didn't find her, she would escape. Then she would tell someone, would be put in jail or worse, and the shadow would kill him, the thing he had been working himself over the edge to avoid. He glanced down and noticed the dagger clenched tightly in his hand was in a killing pose. With control he lowered it. The pressure was getting to his mind. He wouldn't kill her. Only capture her. She was innocent, he wouldn't kill her...

His plan was basic and scrapped together, but due to his size and strength, he could definitely pull it off. He had to catch her by surprise and grasp her, then simply to drag her back to the cell. He began to close in. She happened to look up, disturbed by the sound of scuffling, and gasped in horror at the figure before her. She remembered his face, it was one of the men who had kidnapped her family. His eyes had the looks of evil, his shadow spoke of death, and clenched in his hand was a dagger. Horrified, she tried to run but the mans' hand grasped her arm. She struggled fiercely, adrenaline kicking in, managing to escape the mans clutches. However she fell onto the cold stone floor, grazing her elbows. She was hopeless. She covered her face as she waited for the dagger to plunge into her heart. However, as she glanced up she saw the man pause, his dagger inches from her, shaking his head. She took this miraculous chance to kick the man in the shins and escape, tearing down the halls as fast as her legs would carry her.

Daniel collapsed on the ground with a cry. Recent events had taken a toll on his mind and body, and that accompanied with the sleepless nightmares had made him weak. As he heard footsteps pounding on the stone floor, he screamed "Get back here you little bitch!" He staggered onto his feet and pursued her hotly. However, Daniel had run out of steam, and she was much faster and had more stamina. He tried to get her back with futile words as he quickly ran out of breath. "Hey you, stop!" "Don't come any closer, I just want to leave!" she cried. Daniel cursed under his breath. She was approaching the one of the entrance doors! "You can't go outside! It's too dangerous!" His words were empty lies, but he had to do everything he could to stop her. "I'm telling Gabriel!" she panted. She was finally running out of stamina. Daniel pushed himself faster and managed to get in front of her, only feet away from her freedom. "I doubt that very much," he said with a sneer. He held the dagger threateningly, as it glinted in the torchlight.

The girl felt a new rise of terror and strength, a new will to survive this nightmare. She sprinted the other way. Daniel let out a angry growl and began to pursue her, but suddenly the wind from the girl blew out all the flames of the torches, and the hall was shrouded in darkness. For a few moments, Daniel was once again that young boy whose' dad ordered him to go to the basement. He didn't want to. Why couldn't Hazel? well... he was afraid the door would lock and he would be trapped forever in the darkness. He wasn't lying! No, please! Don't! He'd go! He descended the dark stairs. Once he got down there he dropped a jar of ink hid father asked him to fetch, cutting his feet on the glass. He cried out as he fell to the ground in agony. He tried with all his will to stand up but it was too painful. He tried to climb the stairs but his arms weren't strong enough. So he sat at the bottom of the stairs, crying out for anyone to help him. The darkness... it was closing in... Finally his father found him, and beat him for breaking the jar .

Another terrifying memory flashed through his mind. He grunted as he landed on the bottom step. He looked up at his fathers' drunk sneering face. "Why are you doing this? What did I do to deserve this?" he sobbed. His father just shook his head. The last thing he saw was Hazel, crying. Then he heard the doors being locked. He clambered up the stairs and banged,pushed and clawed at the doors until he felt blood soaking his sleeves. He dare not yell, for fear he would get beaten for it, or worse, Hazel get beaten. He was trapped. The darkness was suffocating him, eating him alive. All he could do was crawl in the corner and pretend he was somewhere else. It didn't work at all. He cried his eyes out. After that things stopped making sense. His mind was fading away, he began slipping into utter madness. He saw horrible things, he heard horrible things. When his father finally opened the door, sober and in his short-lived regret mode, he always "worshipped" light and loathed darkness...

Daniel returned from his memories in a panic. His breath quickened into panicky bursts of air as he fumbled in his pockets for his lantern and oil. For a few seconds, he heard their voices... all the voices of the ones he tortured, conjuring into a scream of grief and pain. He shook his head violently, trying to clear the voices, to no prevail. As light sprouted from the lantern, the voices suddenly ceased. Daniel took a huge breath of relief. It took Daniel a moment to recollect his thoughts. What was he doing again? He looked down at the dagger on the floor. Suddenly his head began pounding and his hands shook the lantern. He slumped against the wall, holding his head in his hands. There happened to be a mirror across the hall. When he took a glance at it he could hardly believe what he saw. The man parallel to him was nothing like the man he was only a month ago. That man was so curious and naïve, so pure and innocent, his hands never covered in blood...

Daniel scowled at himself for thinking in this manner. The orb had changed him... killing a man had changed him... whether this change was for better or worse didn't matter. If he hadn't tortured so many men, who were wicked and cruel, he would've been dead long before now. Besides, he was doing the world a favor, ridding it of criminals.

Daniel, feeling much better sitting in the lantern light, stood up slowly, his shins still sore, and picked up the dagger. What was he doing with this? He suddenly remembered what he had to do. He had to kill the girl... Wait, no no, he had to capture her. He couldn't kill her. He couldn't kill her...

He repeated these words in his head as he trudged down the hall. He cursed himself for sitting so long. But her foot steps echoed only a few yards ahead, and they were much slower. The chase had finally slowed down. Daniel crept along silently. If he had to pursue her again...

About 5 minutes later he heard the footsteps come to an utter halt, and once again heard the girl sobbing. She was petrified._ 'A good sacrifice to the shadow...' _Daniel thought. He began getting frustrated with himself again. He had to get these dark thoughts out of his head! He couldn't keep thinking like this. As he approached a set of stairs, he saw her perched at the top of them. Luckily for Daniel, she had her hands over her eyes, and was unaware of his presence.

Daniel crept up, step by step. He was exhausted and couldn't keep up with these ridiculous "games" much longer. Intent and focused on the girl, he didn't see the small pebble resting on the next step.

The girl still had her hands on her eyes. She didn't want to see what new horrors awaited her. She didn't want to see the man or the horrible monster. Maybe this was a dream. Maybe the man had stopped looking. Maybe Gabriel would come to her rescue. But deep in her heart she knew none of this was true. She was almost certainly doomed to die in these castle walls, never to see her mother or siblings again. Her death would be unknown, she would just be another body among the hundreds that died here.

Suddenly she jerked her head up as she heard a pebble scatter down the steps. Sheer terror took her over as she saw the man only ten steps away from her. He lost his balance and fell half way down the steps, and let out a growl that soon turned into a roar of rage. In a panic she darted into the room next to the stairs. Her throat was too hoarse to scream. She could only pray.

Daniel had enough of the games. He tore up the stairs. He heard her panting on the other side of the door to the next room. "I've had enough of this!"He bellowed as he heaved himself at the door. She attempted to blocked it with something. This only enraged him more.

She had no hope left. She only sat in the corner and waited for the man to come. She knew the table blocking the door would only hold for so long. With only two heaves the man pushed through the door. She gasped as splinters from the table grazed her cheek. She closed her eyes.

Daniel had a million thoughts running through his head. Kill her! No Daniel, stop. She deserves it! Stop, shes just a little girl! Cut the lines... You were only going to capture her!

Blood raged through Daniel. His lantern crashed to the ground as he threw it against the wall. He couldn't stop himself from plunging his dagger into her back. She cried out as he stabbed her repeatedly. He couldn't stop. Finally after a last stroke he collapsed to his knees. Her body fell with him, crumpled in a heap before him. What... what had he done? After wiping the blood from his eyes, he couldn't believe the horror before his eyes. Her body... it was so mutilated. Blood gushed from the many wounds that adorned her back. Her blue dress was now a crimson red, the red taking it over. No no no... she can't be... Daniel held the body in his arms and tried to listen for her heartbeat. It was silent.

Daniel felt his entire soul collapsed. He had just murdered an innocent child. He was a cold blooded murderer. He felt hot tears, mixed with the girls blood which had smeared his face, run down his cheek. He tried to move away but he just couldn't . Instead he held the lifeless body closer, sobbing into her dress. "Forgive me! Please forgive me! I never wanted to hurt you! please... Alexander... Alexander you bastard, you did this!" Daniel paused a moment and looked up from the corpse. "No, I did this. But Alexander made me into this. I don't deserve to be forgiven. But neither does he." He took a last glance at her young face, and suddenly her face changed ever so slightly to match Hazels'... Overcome by fear, he finally urged himself to lay to the body on the ground, gently, and crawled in the corner. He hid his face from the body, for he didn't believe he was worthy to even look at her. He found himself sobbing over her. If only he could bring her back...

He just wanted to end it all. He was tired of the suffering, the pain... He didn't deserve to live. He deserved to be slaughtered like a hog then thrown uselessly into a hole."Do you hear me shadow?! Just take me! End it all, I'm tired of all the pain and suffering I must cause to please you! This is enough!" But then he thought it through. No, he couldn't die yet. Not until he avenged her. Not until he killed Alexander. He had been a fool. He was using him. He didn't know what for, but he just knew. He had twisted his mind and shrouded his heart in darkness. Daniel was broken by the one who said he could fix him. Everyday he felt the shadow closer. He had probably tortured and killed all those people, who were most likely innocent, just for Alexanders sick game. How could have he been so stupid?

He didn't know how long he sat there before Alexander found him. "Daniel, thank god! I've looked all over the castle for you. Why didn't you answer my calls?" Daniel said nothing. He would not even look at the baron.

Alexander then saw the gruesome scene on the floor. He was unmoved by the gruesome scene, in fact he was irritated by it. He had hoped the woman and girl would provide just enough... Would the woman alone be enough to sustain him? He observed that Daniel was very distraught. He had seemed quite edgy lately. Daniels' hands covered his eyes and held his head, scooted back in the dark corner. Blood soaked his clothing and hair, dripping off into gory puddles. Had he finally cracked? Had he gone completely insane? His friend seemed in quite a bit of distress. "Now Daniel, while I'm not sure how this happen, we both know it was just an accident. Come, lets go the library and... chat. While this does mean we may have to gather some more prisoners, we do have something to feed to the kaernk." Said Alexander in a light tone, hoping Daniel would be in the mood for it. He saw he had made a mistake as soon as Daniel looked up at him. He looked up with a hateful expression on his blood-splatterd face, His eyes blood shot and red from what was probably hours of crying, his mouth twisted into a sneer. Daniel stood up with apparent struggle and looked Alexander right in his eyes. For a moment, Alexander actually felt fear. Then he remember who he was and snickered inside. Daniel was nothing compared to him, just a mere fly, just like all the other humans in this dreaded universe. He was just... more important.

Daniel looked at the baron with absolute hatred, then used all his strength to shoved him to the cold blood-smeared floor. "How **dare** you disgrace her like that?! She was an innocent little girl, she died because what you've made me, you horrible monster!" Daniel hissed. Alexander was starting to get very annoyed. "Daniel, don't blame me for your actions, and **do not** ever touch me!" Daniel ignored him and stormed out the room, slamming the door behind him. He headed to his room, far away from this nightmare.

Alexander sighed as he pulled himself upon his feet. Great, he thought, his favorite coat was splattered with blood. As he brushed himself off, he worried about Daniel. He had just shown strength and hatred he only used when torturing some of the more cruel "criminals". _ 'He'll get over it,' _he thought as he drug the meaningless body behind him, to be taken to the laboratory. _Just another among the hundreds..._

Daniel wasn't aware of the world around him anymore. He wasn't sure the last time he had eaten, how many times the sun had set, how long the blood in his hair had been dry. He had no idea how long he had studied the piece of fabric in his hands. Perhaps seconds, maybe days. eternity for all he knew. A knock on his door startled him. He ignored it. He heard a sigh and the handle turning. "Alexander, I wish to be alone." His voice, broken and weak for however long he hadn't spoken, was not angry, it was just stating. He heard the handle pause for a moment before Alex entered anyway. "Daniel, I know you don't want to talk. I'm just here to tell you something." _This room is a filthy mess!_He picked up the pieces smashed bottle of laudanum off the floor. "Have you been drinking this? This is only for medicinal purposes Daniel, you know that. Look, I know you feel remorse for killing her, but don't do stupid things you'll regret. You did the right thing. She could have destroyed everything." Daniel ignored everything he said and looked around the room. He saw most of his things overturned and many bottles smashed on the floor. He thought he had remember going on a rampage, but he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"If your not going to pay attention, at least pay attention to what I'm about to say," said Alexander, trying to keep temper down. He knew if he raised his voice Daniel might be tempted to go crazy again, and then who knows? He may even attempt to escape the castle. He had to convince him to stay. Daniel finally lifted his eyes from the cloth and looked at the Baron. Alexander felt a hint of guilt for his friend. Despite all he was doing to him, using him, lying to him, and what not, he still considered him a good colleague. He told him somethings he hadn't told anyone else. In this world, anyway... "I think it would be best if you refrained from visiting the inner sanctum and partaking in the rituals for a while." Daniel just nodded and went back to looking over pretty little flower patterns, which were now stained brown from the blood it had previously soaked in.

Alexander got uneasy. Usually Daniel would bombard with a hype of questions. This solemn silence was very unusual. He decided to just continue talking in hope he would listen. "I'm afraid this evenings events will prevent you from focusing. Don't worry, if I perform the rituals, the warding will be meek, but enough for a short while. We are close to finishing the process." Daniel clenched his teeth and the fabric tightly into a little ball. He slowly stood up, struggling to keep his balance. His hands trembling, he leaned himself against his dresser. "Do you really think I CARE, if the shadow claims me anymore Alexander? Do you really think that's the most important thing on my mind right now. Well, if you do, let me tell you something. I don't give a shit about that nightmare right now, no, I'm set on the fact I killed a innocent little girl... however long ago that was . I murdered her Alexander, her blood still covers my hands, her pleas of mercy echo in my ears! I deserve to die, I deserve to be tortured like all those people we tormented!"

Daniels' voice grew steadily angrier. Alexander had to fix this. "Daniel, you know all those people deserved to die. They were monsters, they killed people, tortured them, did horrible things." Alexander said in a smooth flowing voice. All these social interactions with humans had taught him how to manipulate them easily. Daniel looked at Alexander angrily. "How stupid do you think I am? While I have been a brainless fool, I know now. I'm no longer under your control Alexander." Alexander felt a sense of fear, an emotion he wasn't used to. He had under estimated Daniel. He had to regain his control, or the ritual would never be completed! He would have to work out a elaborate plan in only a few hours. "Hm, you must be delirious from all the laudanum you carelessly wasted. Why don't you rest. And may I say this, We've been so far, we've killed so many **criminals**, it would be cruel of us to waste all their lives. Would you want that Daniel? Would you want to waste so many human lives, when all you do was take a few more?" Alexander was pleased with himself. He always thought himself as clever. The deceit seemed to be working.

Daniel took a deep breath. "You're right Alexander. It would be cruel. Please, just leave me alone for a while. I need to gather my thoughts." Alexander obeyed and got up. "And for the love of god, please wash all the blood off of you. Being covered in dried blood for five hours, which is how long it has been since I **rescued** you, doesn't exactly increase one's appeal." And with that, Alexander left. Daniel collapsed back on his bed. Just standing up for a few minutes had taken all his energy. Even though he was totally exhausted, he couldn't get the swirling fog of his thoughts cleared from his head. Every thought, dilemma, and contradiction blocked his ability to sleep. Finally after hours of fighting with himself and not getting answers, he found himself drifting off.

_A few days later..._

Daniel was broken. He no longer had the strength to get out of the room, or even sit up for more than a few minutes. Alexander was very worried. He had offered Daniel help, but Daniel always refused. Nothing could help him. Only thing he could do is bring him his meals, which Daniel barely touched, and try to comfort him. It had been eight days since the accident. Daniel hadn't uttered a word since he had last talked to him. He stumbled around for his eyes were constantly veiled in tears. But he wasn't always weak, that was certain. Five or six times he had gone on a rampage, exiting his room destroying everything in his path. During these fits he seemed to somehow gain the strength of a bull, destroying stone as if it were building blocks, breaking glass as if a thin slither of fabric. Despite his skin being sliced by millions of pieces of metal, glass, and stone, he paid no attention to the obvious pain, only giving a short grunt when a particularly painful wound was conflicted upon him. Alexander tried to stop him once, and it ended with Alexander on the floor, Daniel standing over him with a shard of glass, which was cutting his palm, blood dripping from his finger to Alexanders' boots. It was an unpleasant experience that Alexander wished to not deal with. After the first time, he tried to confront Daniel about it, dissatisfied with the mass of debris scattering the hall, and all he received was mass confusion. He was oblivious to the destruction he was causing not only to the halls, but to himself. He was getting worse by the day, slowly falling into the swirling oblivion that was insanity. And Alexander knew that once this oblivion grasped him, he could not be saved. This meant Alexander had to set his plans in motion, and fast.

_If he doesn't cooperate this time, I really don't know what I'm going to do. _Alexander approached his door, knocking rubble that collected in front of it away with his foot. He was very apprehensive about it. Daniel was so unpredictable, he could either be happy or ready to tear someones' throat out at any moment. "Daniel?" Alexander knocked on Daniels' door, not expecting a reply. He hadn't heard a reply from him for a long while, not matter how nice or calm he was. Or nasty in that matter. So he uttered a gasp of surprise he heard a faint and shaky "Yes?" come from the other side. Alexander paused. Maybe he was feeling better. Maybe he had gone completely insane. It would be rather odd for him to change so suddenly... "Er, I just wanted to talk. I take it you're feeling better? May I come in?" The handle clicked as Daniel swung it opened, standing tall and wide as to block the view to his room. "I-I'd rather talk out here actually." despite the meekness of his voice, he said it with confidence. Daniels' eye caught sight of the shattered remains of miscellaneous things carpet the passage. _What in the world happen here? So many broken pieces... Broken like her body... oh god... _He shook his head, attempting to clear the thoughts that had plagued his mind the past few days, the thoughts that were destroying him. While they failed to disappear completely and hung in the corners of his mind, they didn't bother him so much.

The small phrase perplexed Alexander. Daniel wasn't one for hiding things. _No...shouldn't risk. I'm sure it is nothing of importance._ He thought as thinking about pushing Daniel to the side to see what he was concealing from him so desperately. _He would lose his sense of privacy, the last thing I want! _Thus he decided to smooth-talk his way into it. "What are you hiding?" asked Alexander in kind voice. "It is not of your concern. Now what do you want?" Daniel said coldly, beginning to regain his voice. Taken aback by the rude comment, Alexander grimaced. No, this wasn't like him at all."Well, first I must say I am interested in this sudden change of attitude of yours'. Only yesterday you were unresponsive and trapped in a stew of misery. Why the sudden change?" Chilling intimidation crept into his voice. It was natural for him to stand above others, and being denied something always irked him. "Well, I just got some sleep and cl-cleared my head." Daniel replied, a distant look shone in his eyes. Unamused and getting impatient, Alexander forgot all about whatever Daniel was hiding. "Well, I came to ask you if you would like to complete the ritual tonight. I have done all in my power to prepare it up to the last part, this last one will require your participation." Getting more impatient and feeling dread creeping into his bones, his voiced leaked with a hint of venom, that hid the desperation that also leaked in his voice. _Come on you fool! Please... _After a bit of hesitation, Daniel nodded."I will. I've done some hard thinking, you were right about wasting the lives. That I do know. When would you like to do this?" Daniels' eyes still remained clouded, even though he was looking straight at Alex, it was as if it he was looking right past him."6 o' clock tonight. Sharp. Don't be late, please." said Alexander. A great wind of relief went through him. The first step was completed. Of course, this was the first of many... He had to rely on Daniel for most of it, and considering his stated of mind, it bothered him.

Daniel nodded and without warning slammed the door shut, satisfied by the _smack _the door made as it collided with the barons' nose. A nasty grin crept on his face as he heard a sharp "Ow!" and angry mumbling, lessening in volume as Alex trudged down the hall. Amused, he sat back down in his chair. He went studied the hurried scribble dabbering about the diary entry he was working on, before Alexander barged in. It was gorged permanently into the paper, his hand gripping his pen almost to a breaking point. He continued his writing. Among the yellowed, dusty pages were his plans. Eager, he added vigorous notes here and there. Finally he sat back and looked at his clutter of words adorning the page, satisfied. It may have been messy, and looked of the workings of a mad-man, but at the same time it was beautiful. To Daniel at least. Alexander had just presented him with the perfect opportunity. Before he was worried the chance to get close enough to kill the demon wouldn't present itself.

It was three o' clock now. He began getting ready, working through the devious scheme in his head . He wrote what he presumed would be his last diary, trying best to hold back the tears that welled in his eyes. He couldn't help but noticed the collection of tear drops that splattered onto the scribbling below. Oh well, it wasn't like it was anyone else would see it At the bottom of the page, which had gained a layer of tears as well, he had written his goodbyes to Hazel. She was really the only one he loved in the whole world. His dear sister... He would do anything for a chance to see her again, just once...Of course, for all he knew she was rotting in a casket... What a horrible brother he was! He left his sister, dying, so he could have silly adventures in the desert! He should've stayed, he shouldn't have ever went...

Afraid of being sucked into the void again, he bit his arm, painfully, drawing his mind away from his thoughts. The only thing that was keeping his mind sane was ignoring. He hated being ignorant, but he was sure it was the only thing keeping him alive right now.

After readying himself he sat by the window and watched the forest below that surrounded the castle. Few things dared entered the dark foreboding woods. Even the animals could feel the evil that lurked among the bushes and branches. So why couldn't he when he first came here? Why hadn't he given any thought when the carriage entered the woods, devoid of any life, or when the castle loomed in front of him, dark and empty? Was it the barons' old smiling face, or maybe the fact this man could save his life? Whatever it was, he regretted not turning back and leaving this place far behind while he still could...

He sighed as the sunset casted a red hue upon the trees, giving everything a peaceful red hue. _This will most likely be my last sunset... It seems like it was made just for me. _He had a feeling that after the next few hours, he would be lying on the ground, his blood spilling on the floor and his heart still. Normally, he would be frightened by such a feeling, but accompanied with the beautiful sunset, and the wonderful silence that filled the room, he felt at peace. Because he knew, or hoped, that along with his body, Alexander would be right next to him, dead.

After sitting for a few hours reviewing his life, his accomplishments and fails, he finally looked at his watch. It was about fifteen past five. He felt around in his pockets. There it was. A dagger, a deadly 15 centimeter blade of steel. His muscles tensed as he thought about plunging the dagger into Alexander. He would stab him in the back first, then after he was down, cut long bloody grooves into his arms, letting him bleed out slowly. He didn't deserve to die quickly...

He held his dagger close to his chest and began making his way to the inner sanctum.

He entered the huge room, unable to help the gasp of awe that escaped his jaws. Even if it was owned by his very nemesis, he still was entranced by its vastness and elegance. After he beheld its beauty, he noticed something odd. The huge room was completely abandoned, except the three pillars that always stood in the middle. Alexander was nowhere in sight. "Alexander?" he called out, keeping a tight fist on the dagger in his pocket. He couldn't possibly be late, and he couldn't be that early. He pulled out his pocket watch. It was 5:58 pm. Surely Alexander wasn't so specific...

He jumped a he heard a loud creak and felt a large pull of air behind him. He swiveled around to see the huge doors shutting to a close, shut before he had time to even take a step towards them. He just stood there staring at the doors. What was this? What was happening? He slowly approached the colossal planks of wood that blocked the one and only exit. Although he knew it was hopeless, he pushed on the doors. Neither would budge. His mind occupied by the thought of what was going on, he about jumped out of his skin as heard a deep voice say "Hello Daniel." He turned around to see Alexander standing on the balcony. He was in his red coat, still stained with blood, standing tall, a bemused expression on his face. He looked like a powerful being, a cruel king watching over his slaves. In his hand was a sphere, a shimmering blue hue whisked beneath the cloth that covered it. It was Daniels' orb.

"What are you doing with that Alexander?" A very sly smile crept across Alexanders' face. "Let me just give it to you straight. I have no more time for anymore lies. I have been lying to you this entire time, I-" Daniel interrupted, sneering. "You think I'm such a fool I didn't figure that out?" Daniel said angrily. He was tired of being underestimated. He wasn't as weak as his small frame suggested. "Let me finish. I have using these "criminals", which were mostly innocent villagers as you may have figured out, to extract a mystic substance known as 'Vitae', a form much beyond your human comprehension, so that I may returned to the world from which i came. This orb," he held the clothed sphere high in the air, as if announcing a powerful relic,"was the one thing I needed to complete the puzzle. I had been trying for years to find one. When Hurbert failed, I thought all hope was lost. That week or so was full of despair and misery on my part. Then, quite suddenly, I got a hasty letter from a young man by the name 'Daniel'. Some thought and I realized this was the young man Herburt was talking about, a young archeologist that was going along with him to Algeria. I was even more thrilled to learn he was in the possession of a orb. You should know the story from there, but if you don't, let me refresh your memory. The young man fought with himself, unknowingly killing more and more people, until he finally gave into the mysterious letter he received from the Baron who resided in Prussia. In the while, he had a nightmare that brought him to reconstructing the orb. He hastily went to the castle. When he arrived, he was greeted by an older, kind man. His room was quite elaborate, and he was treated kindly. After some talking, he became quite acquainted with the baron. Then the baron told him of the orb, and the shadow following him. The young man was horrified, but realized the Baron was only trying to-" "I've had enough of your pity stories Alexander, let me go! Why did you bring me all this way to hear things I already knew?" Daniel shouted, having enough of these tales. "Ah, silly Daniel, did you really think I could just let you go? You just learned something I've not told a single soul in centuries. And besides that, what if you were to venture out and tell everyone about the eternal evil **demon **who has lived in the Brennenburg castle for centuries? No, I'd think it would be best if I killed you. I'm doing you a favor really, this way is much better than having the shadow rip you apart."

"You're a madman Alexander!" Daniel glared at the Baron as he thought of what to do. What could he do? The maniac had trapped him without any hope of escape...

Alexander scoffed. "Like you have room to talk." He snapped his fingers and out of the shadows came a horrifying choir of growls. Stumbling out of the shadow , six of Alexanders servants limped towards him, their faces looking more horrifying than usual. Daniel leaned back on the door. He was trapped. He had no means of escape. He was going to die.

` He dug out his dagger, which had been clenched tight in his hand, and threw the blade at one of them, but it bounced off its tough skin uselessly. It emitted a awful, distorted chuckle at the meek attempt."Good bye, my friend." said Alexander, the tiniest hint of sadness in his voice. One of the servants rose its mutilated hand in the air, only moments from bringing it down upon Daniel. He closed his eyes. _No! It can't end like this! This can't be..._

Suddenly, from the heart of the castle, came a horrendous roar.

Alexander gasped as a strong wind swept the cloth from the orb, exposing its shimmering blue light. Within only seconds his sanctum was covered in the disgusting fleshy substance. The wind gain power and managed to blow the huge doors of their hinges. The wind ripped through the chamber for a few more seconds before continuing through the castle, it could be heard whipping through the hall, scattering everything in its' path. His servants layed scattered about, straggling around like idiots. He glanced down at Daniel, caught his eye for a moment, then watched as he sprinted through the space where the doors used to be. Alexander let out an angry roar. "After him you lazy fools, do not let him escape!"

Ignoring the insanity raging in his mind had done a lot to him. Not only was his mind clear, he found new strength in himself. He had never ran so fast in his life. He didn't know specifically where he was running to, he was just running. He couldn't possibly have any sense of how much time passed, his attention completely directed in fleeing from the area. After a while, his sides began hurting, not being worked in a long while, he was getting light-headed from being short of breath. Finally, after what seemed like hours, his legs gave out and he fell to the ground. He looked behind him, relieved to find nothing pursuing him. After resting for a few minutes and catching his breath, he looked at his surroundings. He was in the prison area. He just laid on the floor, still panting, his body sore all over. But after closing his eyes and clearing his mind, he finally able to breath properly and relax his muscles. He looked at his pocket watch, and was surprised to find it was 8:10... How could he have ran for two straight hours? He must of blacked out or something...

He yelped as his thoughts were broken by the savage growl of one of the servants. He panicked as the shadow of the monster covered one of the walls nearby. Scrambling off the floor, he rushed to one of the prison cells, in hopes that this one cell might be unlocked. He found to his dismay the door wouldn't budge. He heard the strange screeching that he always heard when encountering one of Alexanders'...things. He dared a glance behind him. A fatal mistake. The abomination was only two feet behind him. He screamed as the monsters' three claws slashed across his chest. He ran, which was more like scattering through the hall wildly, running into walls, and knocking over things, weak because of the episode he had not but a minute ago. He screamed as every movement, no matter how small, tugged at the flesh of his abdomen, shot searing pain through him and sprayed blood everywhere. In a weak attempt to save his blood he covered the wound with his hand, grimacing as he felt rivers of blood flow from his hand to the floor. Still running blindly, the pain became so strong it numbed him, giving him a chance. He ran for his life. He had to find somewhere dark, he couldn't run for much longer. He shrieked as he heard one of the monsters' claws whistle by his ear, only centimeters from clawing a gash in his head, followed by a series of frustrated growls. Luckily, the dumb beast didn't have the sense of a fly. He ran frantically through the labyrinth of corridors, until he finally found a dark corner to settle in. Fortunately all the corners Daniel had rounded slowed down the grunt and he was a few yards behind Daniel. Daniel resisted the urge to bring his lantern out again, despite the fact he was more terrified of the dark than the monster. '_Just like her. Cornered, no self defense, doomed to die._' Daniel refused to let himself slip now. _Don't you dare, one slip and I'll be sliced to pieces! _ He focused back on the situation. He had to resist the urge to look at the monster, knowing of their power to sense someone peeking at them. He noticed the area surrounding him was beginning to get darker. His vision wavered and zoned. His teeth began to chatter as the darkness came in closer, closing in... His mind was slipping away. He tried to think about something beside the creeping shadows, but he failed. _The darkness, it's closing in, coming closer. It's going swallow me whole... _His vision began swirling, the walls were moving...

He didn't how long it took him to regain control over his mind. For at least a few minutes he was fighting with himself, trying to get away from the void, something extremely difficult to achieve. After finally taking control of his sense, it took him a while to realize it was gone. He looked around for any sign it was still lurking, and was relieved to find there was none. Mentally exhausted, he crept from his hiding spot and cautiously lit his lantern. He let out a sigh of relieve as he felt his sanity return to him. Then he doubled over as searing pain wretched through his body. In his madness he had forgotten all about the three gashes on his abdomen, but now they burned and irritated him with every step. He tried to ignore the pain as he decided what his next move should be. Should he risk going back to his room, or stay in hiding? He found it difficult to keep his eyes open, and even the scraggle of wood and cloth that made up the prisoners bed look appealing. He limped into one of the cells, still wincing from the horrible pain. It still bled a little, making him squirm as a bead of blood slithered down his stomach. After some dilemma, he decided to rest first, then continue on to his room. He found a cell that wasn't locked, barricaded it from the inside with what little resources he could find, and tried to get comfortable on the rock-hard mattress. Finally exhaustion took over and his eyes got heavy. His last thought before drifting off was thinking about how cruelty they treated their victims.

"You found him? Where?" Alexander was in his study when his the three servants he had sent to capture Daniel returned to report to him. Luckily he had gotten used to their hideousness, although he could barely look them straight in the eye for more than a few seconds before pulling back. Unfortunately, because they were simple, uncomplex "creatures", he had to look at their hideous face to telepathically communicate with them. Their twisted shape prevented them from uttering anything others than whimpers and growls, which Alexander preferred, not wanting to imagine how hideous their voice would be.

He cursed under his breath as he sifted through their mind. They were so mindless it took them a full minute to conjour up the memory of Daniel. But it was worth it, for it gave him Daniels' location and status. As he sifted through useless thoughts of wandering the corridors and self-pity, he finally found his target. The grunt was sneaking behind Daniel, who was attempting to hastily open a prison door; so obviously he was in the prison. This didn't surprise him, for he already had the minions ransack Daniels' room with no evidence of him. He was surprise to see the grunt had actually landed a blow on him, and was even more surprised to see Daniel running so quickly. Surely the marathon he ran earlier would have rendered him unimaginably exhausted. He got angry as he saw how far behind the grunt was falling. They were such fools, they didn't deserve to be in the presence of a superior mind like his! He got even angrier when the grunt couldn't catch up, even though Daniel was running aimlessly, knocking things over like an idiot. Then his blood boiled as he saw the grunt stop and looked around stupidly for Daniel, who was obviously hiding in the corner! Even he could see it! Then the moron just stumbled off, clueless as to where Daniel was. As he retracted from the servants mind he lashed out angrily at its face, his unnaturally long finger nails carving scratches into what was left of its' jaw. It whimpered as it tried to cover its' face, which earned it another lashing. "You idiots! You're even stupider than the humans! You're lucky I don't just kill you right here! You have no idea how bad I want to rip your head off and feed it to the rats right now, you useless mutts! Sure, I would have a harder time finding him than all three of you together, but at least when I found him I wouldn't stand there like a blasted cow!" he screamed. He bared his teeth. Then he let out an angry sigh as they all stood there like fools, cringing in fear. "Go find him and bring him to me." he said between gritted teeth. They all scramble like maggots out the door.

Alexander took deep breath as he attempted to bring his temper down, before he started destroying the castle. He did have quite a temper sometimes, but he was just so... **frustrated **by those stupid idiots! If only everyone had the same mind capacity as him, like they did back home. _Home..._ Images of huge towers and amazing technology raced through his head. He missed it all so much... After thinking a bit, he decided to get the discreet chest hidden behind his bookshelf. He carefully unlocked it, like it was made of thin fiber glass. He let out a small chuckle as he thought how simple this world was. Fiber glass was a commonly used material at his home, while these simpletons were only grazing the surface of its' use. After opening the chest, his nose filled with scents that were unfamiliar, yet they brought an overwhelming sense of Deja Vu', unlocking memories he'd nearly forgotten about. He tried to ignore the single tear streaming down his face as he gently picked up one the marble relic, cradling it as he shut the chest. He took a moment to hold the mystic item in front of him, gazing at its' alien patterns and etchings that were of his land. So complicated and delicate... He used one of his fingernails to trace the lines and curves, deciphering each one as emotions rolled within him. Finally he couldn't stand the tears dripping from his eyes anymore and he went back to his desk. He was Alexander of Brennenburg, an all-powerful, greatly-feared baron, who had lived in his castle for centuries, not some poetic man who got emotional. Then he placed both hands on the relic, cleared his mind, and merged his mind with the object. After some minutes of this, he began. _My love..._

_He squinted as the sun shone brightly on the rolling green grass. Rolling green hills surrounded him, covered in grass with the occasional tree. He heard so many wonderful things, many birds were singing, insect life chirp among the grass. His body and mind felt young and unmarked, he could feel no pain or worries. Fascinated, he pranced through the tall grass, laughing happily. Suddenly, seeing a shadow on the ground, he glanced up and there was hazel, her arms open and welcoming, a light but happy smile on her face. He ran to them, seeking her embrace. She wasn't sickly anymore, she was happy and standing tall, just like she used to. He leaped into her arms and knocked her over, sending them rolling down a grassy green hill. They giggled as they tumbled down, embracing each other with passion only families shared. When they tumbled to the bottom, after they had stopped laughing, he glanced up to see his mother, just like he remembered her. Her glossy auburn hair shimmered in the afternoon sun as she helped him off the ground. Beside her was his father, happy and smiling like he used to be, without the smell of alcohol on his breath. "We're a family again!" Daniel gasped happily. They all smiled and nodded. "A family again." Whispered Hazel, picking her little brother up and twirling him around. They all embraced each other and danced, twirling and laughing. After about half an hour of pure happiness, they all fell to the ground, exhausted, but a good way. Daniel looked up at the clouds and used his imagination to turn them into wonderful things, like dogs and cats, like he used to. Then he spotted something in the distance, a spot of blue among the hills. An unusual color among the green, he thought. He stood up, as did the rest of his family, and tried to make it out, but it was very blurry and far away. When he pointed to it, he saw that his family all suddenly got very sad. Perplexed, he looked closer, the image beginning to clear up,and saw it was a little girl in a blue dress, frolicking among the flowers. She was very pretty, and looked very similar to Hazel. That face... Something about it scared him. Not her expression or anything, just the characteristics of it... Out of the corner of his eye, a dark, sinister shadow flickered. He turned his head and spotted a man behind her, one with a dagger. He recognized the figure, but couldn't seem to remember his name. The figure was creeping up on her... He was going to kill her! Terrified, he screamed at the top of his lungs for her to run, but all that came out was empty air. The girl turned around and let out a horrible scream as she saw the man. Before she could move, he violently grabbed her arm and stabbed her in the chest. She collapsed to the ground, dead. The grass around her died and the ground was too innocent to absorb her blood, so she floated in the gory pool, the crimson liquid pouring out of her wounds impossibly fast. The mans' face was unexplainable, it was a mix of sorrow, regret, insanity, and... anger? Daniel had no more time to think on it as the man then shoved the dagger into his own chest, and he to fell to the ground. This time his blood was black, and the man didn't float in it. In fact, he sank in the liquid, till he was consumed under the evil substance. Daniel screamed, and turned to family, seeking comfort. But when he turned around, they were all dead, their faces twisted in a expression of unimaginable horror, their chest mutilated and soaked in blood. Daniel felt tears run down his face. What kind of monster would do this? He fell to his knees and yelped as he felt a sharp prick in his leg. He glanced down. In his hand was a bloody dagger._

Daniel woke up mid-scream. He covered his mouth, muffling it. His heart was beating unnaturally fast. He was breathing uncontrollably, he was panting like a dog. His wounds were burning like hellfire, pulsing with his felt **his** presence in his thoughts. As much as he tried to fight it, it entered his mind. '_Nightmares Daniel?_' the voice mused. Daniel grunted as he pushed Alexander out of his head. He did this with much difficulty for Alexander was a mastermind of mind-minipulating. Suddenly he heard a whale-like noise and a crash as his barricade toppled over. It was a monstrous creation by the likes which he'd never seen, with a split head, its limb looking stitched together,a deadly blade attached to one arm. Even worse, the shadow let out a fear-gripping roar and the fleshy substance covered the walls of the small cell. The whole room was in chaos. He was trapped.

This wasn't good. Not only had shadow killed several of his servants collapsing one of the main halls, it had conjured some of its' own "Servants", hideous creatures with split heads and long blades. While they didn't seem to bother his servants physically, his servants refused to go anywhere near them. He had to get rid of this cosmic pest.

He was very grateful he hadn't killed Daniel earlier. He thought it through and realized if he had killed him, the shadow would have gotten him next, much before the ritual was ready. It would still not be ready for several days. He had to convince Daniel to sacrifice himself somehow, just before he went through his makeshift portal. Just a little manipulation should do the trick...He sighed as guilt cloaked his thoughts. Daniel was a nice guy. Despite his naive ways and foolishness, he had became quite acquainted with him, telling him some of his deepest secrets. He deserved so much more...

He slammed his fist on the table, scaring the living hell out of the servant who was in room currently, reporting on the securance of the entrances. To him, daniel was merely a fly, as were all the other humans in this dreaded world. They were stupid, ignorant, mindless beings that had no purpose but to get him back to his love, his world. He's sure if Daniel was banished to a strange land, and all he had to do to get back was kill hundreds of ants, he would. To him, they were unimportant, tiny. Just as humans were to him. He cursed himself for letting him get so attached to these humans. But then he had to remember, unlike ants or flies, he could talk to humans, they all had personalities, they all had thoughts and conciousness. He knew in his heart, which was an organ only the human possessed but was symbolic none the less, he would take Daniel with him if he could, show him the universe, show him his purpose...

Daniel drank the liquid gratefully, savoring every last drop. The pain of his wounds began to ebb away slowly. He couldn't remember what had happened the last few hours, the only thing he recalled was barely escaping with his life in the prison. "No, please, get away!" a cry echoed down the halls. Daniel gasped, but realized it was only his imagination. His sanity was edging away again. He had to stay on track. He continued down the hall, making much faster progress without the pain of his wound. He finally found himself in the back hall. He looked around cautiously. The room seemed to be clear. However, one step further and he heard a growl behind him. He swiveled around and it was behind him. _How's that possible?! No! _Then monster ran up to him before he could react and... disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Daniel was stunned and stood there for several minutes. _If I can't trust my eyes anymore, what can I trust?_ Still shaking, he walked across the back hall. Despite the scene he just witnessed, he felt very... safe here. Before going to his room he approached the fountain. While he had always loathed the hideous statue, it now brought him a strange peace. After savoring the moment for a while, he continued up the stairs, trying his best to be silent. Alexander could be in his study. He crept into his room and silently closed the door. He made sure to lock it. He was dismayed to find his room an absolute mess, and not by his own hands. He had tidied up a little before he had left, but now his drawers were overturned and many random items littered the floor. He sighed as he made his way to his desk. Suddenly he noticed a few pages, dated and written by his own hand. In disbelief, he dug through the top drawer of his desk. He noticed the little red note book was missing. "My journal is gone. What would they want with my journal?" he said, perplexed.

"And so you brought me his diary, like that was an acceptable excuse?" Alexander said, holding the diary in his hands, a displeased look on his face. '_It all we find master!_' argued the grunt, with what little speech it still remembered. Alexander held his head in his hands. "Just go search some more. This time, try to spend less time bringing me useless things and more time finding him." '_Master, we tired. We stop searching?_' "Just switch out with someone else." Muttered Alexander, finding himself fascinated with what the pages contained. As the grunts shuffled out, he began reading it. He usually wasn't concerned in human affairs, but now he was interested. He found himself emersed in the pages, in Daniels' life. He was always an avid reader, and found himself imagining himself as Daniel, taking every step with him. His childhood, his stay at his castle, his suffering. As he finished the last word, he realized that it was a big mistake. After stepping in Daniels' shoes, he realized how selfish and cruel he was being... No, he couldn't let these sympathies get in the way. He forced himself to put the journal down. He closed his eyes and reminded himself of all he was doing this for. There, that was better. He pocketed the diary, in case it would have uses for later.

He didn't know what to do. About his only choice was escape the castle. But he just couldn't. He couldn't leave this hell without accounting for his sins. He had to kill Alexander. He had to avenge the innocent. But he couldn't simply march up to Alexander and kill him. At least, not easily. Not sure what to do, he wrote his diary on a piece of paper littering the floor. As he wrote the last sentence, he paused. No... could he? It was mad... but it may work...just maybe...

He entered the elevator. He had always hated using it, and his current situation wasn't helping. He felt uneasy as he descended to the bottom floor. Chills went through his body as the dark prison hall laid before him. He always felt like he was being watched, even though it was completely abandoned, except for...Suddenly he remembered the woman and felt his heart wretch. No, he wouldn't even go near there. If she was still alive, he knew he couldn't face her.

He passed through the halls as quickly as possible to get to the door that led to the torture rooms. As he entered, he felt even worse. So many had died cruely here, their misery gave the atmosphere a very dark, twisted feel. He walked quickly past the rooms, staring down the floor, knowing his mind couldn't handle looking at the devices they used. Even the floor had evidence of their horror, washed with the blood of the ones who struggled.

He finally reached the room he was looking for. It was the "torture study room" as Alexander called it. He dug the key for it out of his pocket, unlocked the door, and cautiously entered. Finding no evidence of danger, he proceeded to loosen one of the floor boards and retrieved a huge chest. He opened it with another key, and reached in to retrieve his prize. A bottle of the potion they used to make the prisoners forget, just so they could cause more pain to them.

He replaced the chest and left the room. He made sure to shut the door behind him, hoping that Alexander wouldn't discover his plan, or the whole thing would be much more difficult. He jerked his head to the right as swore he heard a meek voice coming from a door. It was the door to the nave, as Alexander had told him, but he never let him enter the room, for an unknown reason. He must have been hiding something. He was surprised to find the door was unlocked. He damned his curiosity and decided to see what the room held. It may have been vital to his survival, after all. He slowly opened the door, just a few inches, then slammed it shut as his heart leaped out of his chest. There was a man in there... he was chained up... He was surely dead, for he was barely anything but skin and bones but... he...he swore the man looked straight at him and said "please..."... Daniel head began pounding and his hands were shaking. When he turned around, he saw the wind from shutting the door had whipped out all the torches. He began panicking. _Damn it!_ His pockets didn't contain any oil. He began feeling faint. He couldn't run. As he passed the rooms rooms they began screaming again. He tried to plug his ears, but when he did that they just became louder. He swore he could hear the brazen bull bellowing, the iron maidens opening, the saw sawing through flesh and bones... He couldn't take it. He sat on the floor, gasping for air. He was blacking in and out. One moment the hall would be clear, the next it would be littered with mangled bodies. He willed himself to crawl along the floor to the exit. His thought were no longer coherent, he could only think about the darkness. He heard the shadow roar, frightening him even more. He eventually reached the door... _No! It's impossible! _ The door wouldn't budge. He was trapped, being consumed by his fears. He felt his sanity fading, his being contorting into a thing of despair. He layed on the ground, his vision fading, a loud ringing filling his ears. _The shadow, it's coming._ _I'm doomed. Doomed in the darkness. _Just then, by some extravagant miracle, one of the torches fluttered back to life. Daniel clambered to it as fast as he could, and was welcomed by the warmth of light. He began regaining control of himself again. He began making sense. _The torture rooms are locked from the inside so prisoners couldn't escape without the key, which I have. _hesitant to leave the light, he approached the door and inserted the key he fished out of his pocket. _My fears are going to end up getting me killed!_ he thought angrily. He hated his lack of self control when he panicked. He made his way back to his room. A random thought entered his mind about the man that hung in the nave. He didn't even want to know...

"Are you sure? Or are you idiots just rambling again?" Alexander questioned them. _We sure master, we smell it. We heard elevator too. _"Hm, interesting. It seems like you morons may have a purpose after all. Go off, and find him." They shuffled out. _What could he possibly want in the torture chambers? If anything, I figured he'd avoid them, that's where we committed some of our most gruesome crimes... The amnesia potion! _ Alexander sat back in his chair as he tried to work Daniels' plan out. So maybe he just wanted to forget everything he did, ease his conscious. But that wasn't exactly how Daniel worked, and he seemed set to kill him. Maybe he figured it would be easier to kill him with a guilt free conscious. But still, would he really risk his memory to stumble around in a huge castle, and happening to survive long enough to get to his sanctum, just to discover he needed an orb to enter, so he could have a guilt free conscious? **Plus **the shadow was hunting him. It seemed like an impossible task, even to Alexander. And, as Daniel had told him, he heard voices often, reminding him of what he had done, and the route he had to take required going through the prison, so it was almost certain he would rediscover what he did. So what was the point of it all? Needing consultance, He decided to pay a visit to an "old friend".

"Did you happen to see a young man, long brown hair, looking insane, probably covered in blood?" Alexander asked. _Are you insane? No, not to my current knowledge, Did one of your prisoners escape again? _For hanging up in a dead body for years, Agrippa had a very light tone to his voice. "No, if you haven't, then nevermind. It's personal business." _Wait, young man you say? Insane? Now that I think about it, I do recall someone slightly opening the door, then screaming his head off for five minutes. Do you think that was him?_ _Shit_, Alexander thought. Now that Daniel knew of Agrippa, he'd be sure to find him again, which would be a big help to him. Then again, Agrippa himself may have been the one he screaming about...

_Well, do you?_ asked Agrippa. Alexander facepalmed. He swore sometimes he was the only one in the castle with a brain. "Who esle would it be, you idiot!"_ You don't have to yell! It could have been you for all i knew. _"Well, anyway if you see him again, don't talk to him. He's a maniac, and if he goes through with his plan, he'll probably be very frustrated and lost. Just act dead, or whatever." _Are you sure? I've been awfully lonely down here, and if you don't release me soon, I'm going to die, you know. Some company would be nice. _"Why don't you talk to the servants. You two have about the same IQ." said Alexander as he walked out of the Nave. Agrippa sighed. Even now he could feel his life ever so slowly slipping away. He didn't understand why Alexander still kept him down here. If only he could get someone to make weyeres' tonic... the boy. The boy was his only hope. He was sure he was special, Alexander never came down anymore. And so what if he were to disobey Alexander, the bastard hung him up like livestock just to reap information out of him! He just hoped the boy was sane enough to help him...

This was absolutely crazy. It was madness. Yet here he was, about to do the craziest thing in his life. Everything was in line. All he had to do was drink it. He sat in the old archives, for the place was ready to collapse, and Alexanders' servants wouldn't dare venture there. He didn't need to be ambushed in such a state. In front of him sat his letter to himself and the mixture. The air was heavy with a sweet rose scent. He grasped the bottle. Was he really about to wipe all is memories away, just to get revenge? Yes, he was. He held the bottle closer. He reminded himself of what must not be forgotten. He could only hope his memory was strong enough to remember the few specific things. He and Alexander had found the mixture begins to wear off after only 72 hours, but for him to complete his revenge, he had work within a few. '_My name is Daniel. I live in Mayfair, London. There is a Shadow hunting me. I must kill Alexander. I must wash away my sins.' _One last time, he ran through his life. How happy the first 5 years were, his mother dying, his abusive father, his fear of the dark, Hazel getting sick, his career in Archeology... He decided to not go through the past year. With a shaking hand, he put the mixture to his lips, and tipped the bottle back. The smell of rose flooded his nostrils as the liquid began traveling down his tongue. It had a surprisingly sweet taste taste. A flash of memories flew through his mind as he ingested the potion. Then Daniel flinched in pain as the potion began making its work. It was... as if he could feel it destroying his memories. His childhood, his friends and family... What had he done? He repeated what he must remember, but even they began to evade him. _I must remember!_ He stumbled blindly about the archives, desperately trying to keep his memories. He began blacking in and out, stumbling around. _The shadow hunting me, I must hurry... Who am I? I'm Daniel! I live in... in... London... This is crazy... Where am I? I... Alexander... who is he? Oh no... _Finally he collapsed to the floor.

He lay there for a few hours before stirring. He felt extremely dizzy and had great difficulty getting up. _Where... Where am I? Matter of fact, who am I? It's so strange... Why do I feel so odd? _ He, whoever he was, felt like he was doing something very important. He in a very dark, gloomy hall. Rain was coming through the holes in the ceiling. He saw a mysterious pink trail, along with the lurking smell of roses, leading a path. _Might as well follow it._ He followed the trail, and saw the chandelier, glowing above a huge door. Suddenly he felt something weird... an urge to be in the light, away from the darkness. He turned his attention to the door. _I hope that's the exit. This place seems dreadful..._ He approached the door and apprehensively grasped the handle. Instantly, a terrifying roar ripped through the whole building. He gasped in fear and instinctively stepped back. _What...WHAT WAS THAT?! _His heart was racing, his mind unsettled. _Okay, don't try to open huge doors._ Terrified, he ventured into the next hallway. _What in the world is going on? Nothing is making sense..._He gasped as a unworldly wind blew open a door, scaring him out of his wits. '_My mind is very unstable'_ he thought as began to get a slight headache. He kept following the liquid trail. He heard the building groan, as if ready to collapse. _It seems like I'm in a castle. I better find a escape route soon, or I may be buried under tons of stone._ His fear began to gather, along with the reality of the situation. He was alone in a near-collasping castle, not knowing who he was or he got there, and something, which sounded like a humongous being of some sort, didn't want him to escape. His breath quickened. Little sounds began disturbing him, as if they were signs of something horrible going to happen. He crept uneasily through the halls. As he rounded one the corners of the hall, he heard a deafening roar, that shook his whole body and mind. He fell to the floor, terrified, covering his eyes from what horror awaited him. He unsteadily got off the ground. He felt that... that urgency. Like no matter what, he had to press on. He just didn't know why he had to hurry. He tried to ignore the sounds best he could, but it wasn't done easily. The harder he tried, the more tried to ignore the sounds, the louder they became. As he came to room, a door creepily swung open, with no apparent force. _It is obvious something is haunting me. _He slowly crept to the room. He felt a feeling of dread, as if every new crevice unveiled a new horror. Surprisingly, the room was well lit. He approached the room with relief. Finally, something good... A wind swept through and all the lights flickered out. Brief flashbacks whisked through his mind. The basement, being trapped in the darkness, forever...blood... He had to get out of there. He quickly exited and shut the door behind him. He sat on the ground and hung his head in his hands. What was happening? He sat like that for a few minutes. This was a nightmare. This couldn't be real. It just couldn't be...He got up. Real or not, he had no choice but go on. He descended a staircase and opened the door. He realized recognized this place... As he turned the corner, wind blew the lights again. He shook in fear. It was all just so... disturbing. His teeth chattered as he continued through the castle. He hugged his coat tighter around him. He was cold, wet, and tired. He wouldn't mind collapsing on the floor and sleeping for a while... no, he had to keep going. His vision was warping and blurring, making it even harder to venture the halls. He looked in the room to his left. He saw something there... What was it? His mind seemed to be reaching out to it. He cursed as he entered the room and heard more roars from the monster. It took all his will to not cower in fear. As he scooped the object off the floor, he saw it was a lantern. _Well, this will certainly help me..._ He decided to hang on to it. He noticed the rooms continued on and decided to venture further. The whole castle shook as he enter the third room. _No natural thing on this earth could cause such turbulence. Perhaps it is the thing haunting me? _He shuddered to think something so powerful could be after him. When he ventured in the next room, he got a spooky familiarity to his surroundings. He examined the room. There was blood, which made him wretch. What seemed to be the main focus of the room was a desk and chair. Upon the table was a display of items. He glanced down to see the trail ended at the table. Then the note caught his eye. It was like the note was calling to him. He cautiously picked it up, and began to read the note, scribbled in a hurried fashion. _I wish I could ask you how much you remember..._


End file.
